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How to Add Multiple Stops to Google Maps for Road Trips

How often do your road trips go from home to destination without making a single stop? Probably not that often. There are bathroom breaks, gas fill-ups, grocery runs, and maybe even the occasional detour to visit an old friend.

Google Maps, one of the most popular real-time navigational tools, has made it easy to add multiple stops to your next road trip. Multi-stop directions are now available on both Apple and Android versions of Google Maps. You may need to update your Google Maps app to access the new functionality.

There are two ways to use the new multi-stop feature. You can plan your entire route along with stops before you hit the road. Or if you’re already on the road, you can add an unplanned stop while en route.

To plan a route with multiple stops in advance, follow these steps:

Open Google Maps on your device.

Enter your destination, then click the blue route button. The routing menu will open and you’ll need to enter your starting point.

To add a stop, click the menu button in the top right corner (it looks like three dots). In the menu that appears, click “Add stop.”

A new stop will appear next to a letter (it will be B if you’ve entered only one other destination). Click the button that says “Choose destination” and you can enter the name or address of your stop, or choose a stop from the map.

Enter as many stops as you need. To rearrange the order of your stops, touch and hold one of the stops, then move it into the correct position.

When you’ve finished adding all your stops and arranging them in the correct order, click the “Done” button.

To add an unplanned stop when already en route to your destination, follow these steps:

Click the magnifying glass at the top right.

A menu will appear displaying typical stops you’d make on a road trip, such as gas stations, coffee shops, and other stops. There’s also a search button you can select to enter the name or address of a stop you want to add.

A number of nearby stops that match your selection will appear on the map. Click the name of the one you want to add to your route, then click the “Add a stop” button at the bottom of the screen.

Your new route will appear. Note that Google Maps adds the new stop next on your route prior to any other planned stops, including your final destination.